In a semiconductor wafer device, semiconductor chip portions are formed on a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor chip portions are to be separated into individual pieces to serve as semiconductor chips including a semiconductor device respectively. On peripheral portions of each of the semiconductor chip portions, pads are provided to supply power and to input and output signals.
In an electrical characteristics test of the semiconductor chip portions, whether each of the semiconductor chip portions is defective or not is determined by checking the semiconductor chip portions individually in the state of wafer. This test is performed by bringing probes of a probe card in direct contact with the pads of the semiconductor chip portions.
A semiconductor wafer device disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. 2000-36523 has input and output pads for testing. The pads are provided on peripheral portions of a semiconductor wafer having semiconductor chip portions. Bus lines are provided at scribe line areas. The input and output pads are connected to pads of the semiconductor chip portions via bus lines.
In order to test electrical characteristics of the semiconductor chip portions, probes of a probe card are brought into contact with the input and output pads to test the semiconductor chip portions.
In the former semiconductor wafer device, the probes of the probe card are provided so as to correspond to semiconductor chip portions of the semiconductor wafer and to the pads of the semiconductor chip portions. On the other hand, in the latter semiconductor wafer device disclosed in the patent publication, probe cards are provided so as to correspond to the input and output pads for testing.
The size and number of chips, the number and interval of pads, for example, of semiconductor chip portions embedded in a semiconductor wafer device vary depending on the functions, circuit configurations, for example, of semiconductor devices formed in the semiconductor chip portions.
When the design of a semiconductor wafer device is modified or when the design of a semiconductor device formed in a semiconductor chip portion is modified, a new probe card is needed.